Image sensors can be used to detect video sequences that can be used by various client processes in a laptop or desktop computer environment. For example, detected video sequences can be used for webcam applications, videophone operations, or video editing. In a typical webcam or videophone operation, images detected by an image sensor are transmitted over the Internet to one or more remote computers on which the images can be viewed. By detecting and transmitting images at a sufficient rate, a user at a remote computer can view a video sequence in substantially real-time.
Conventional cameras for use with computers are external peripherals, although built-in cameras can also be used. Such cameras can use charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) digital image sensors to detect images. CCD sensors are commonly used in digital still and video cameras and provide a relatively high quality image. CMOS sensors generally require less power and are less expensive but provide a lower quality image than CCD sensors, especially at low light levels.